Baloch leaders urge EU to address fundamental rights violations in Balochistan

Baloch political activists Mehrang Baloch and Sabiha Baloch on Wednesday held a meeting with the European Union delegation to draw attention to human rights abuses in Balochistan.

They discussed issues such as enforced disappearances, persecution and restrictions on peaceful political activities.

“Sabiha Baloch and I recently met with the EU delegation to address the urgent situation in Balochistan,” Mehrang Baloch said, sharing details of the meeting in a post on X.

Expressing his/her gratitude, he/she said, “EU, thank you for your time and attention. We call on the EU to take immediate action against human rights violations, enforced disappearances and repression of peaceful activism in Balochistan.

The EU Delegation to Pakistan recognized the meeting in a statement shared on We welcome the opportunity to join the Defenders.” To discuss the fundamental rights and socio-economic situation of united Balochistan.”

The statement further explained that the discussions included topics such as “fundamental rights and socio-economic situation in Balochistan”.

The meeting took place amid growing global concern over human rights abuses in Balochistan, such as oppression of women and children, suppression of free speech and increase in forced disappearances. Activists urged the EU to take decisive action to address these violations and ensure accountability in Balochistan.

Human rights violations in Balochistan have been a persistent and significant issue for decades. The ethnic Baluch people in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province have long accused the state of systemic discrimination, marginalization and denial of political autonomy. The Pakistani government has been criticized for forcibly suppressing Baloch nationalist movements, including reports of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture of activists, journalists, and civilians.

The Pakistani military, intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces have been implicated in these abuses, often under the guise of counter-insurgency operations targeting Baloch insurgents and pro-independence groups.

In addition to violence, Balochistan suffers from widespread economic underdevelopment, despite its abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals. This economic inequality, along with limited access to education, health care and infrastructure, has fueled growing discontent among the Baloch people.